Photograph by Felipe BuitragoYou are the Weber beneath my wings: UCLA's Lorenzo Mata blocks a shot from
Weber State's Dezmon Harris in the second half of their game at the NCAA Men's Basketball
Tournament at Arco Arena in Sacramento March 15. UCLA pounded Weber State 70-42.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad March

By Felipe Buitrago

"TWO men enter, one man leaves!" Only this time it's not Mad Max, it's March Madness. And like Thunderdome, the HP Pavilion will be home and host to the NCAA West Regional semifinals and final. The "one man" that leaves will head to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta to play in the final four on April 2 and will decide who shall be the champion of the 2007 NCAA Division I. The tournament itself was born in 1939. It was Forrest "Phog" Allen, also known as the "father of basketball coaching," from the University of Kansas who birthed the idea, and he himself was coached by Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. Every year, the tournament promises a flurry of upsets and comebacks, though there have been few of the latter and even fewer of the former this year, which kicked off on March 13. The field has now narrowed to the Sweet Sixteen, which will be played on Friday, March 23, between Kansas and Southern Illinois, and Pittsburg vs. an all-time great, UCLA. The winners of both games will play each other on Sunday, March 25. The final stretch promises to be a brutal battle that you won't want to miss. Tickets are already sold out, but for more information visit www.ncaasports.com/basketball/mens.